Lake Lure

This weekend we took a short getaway with our friends the Millers, to Lake Lure. Apparently this was also the town where Dirty Dancing was filmed! This was also only the second time pretty much getting out of Charlotte for us! I know, I can't believe it. We have so many great places to visit nearby that I've always wanted to go and we haven't had the time nor energy to get out yet! Lu had a blast playing with her B.F Emma. The boys had fun tossing the girls in the air until the lifeguard yelled "guys, no baby throwing"...it was pretty hilarious to say the least to hear that said out loud!

Blake

I keep saying how much he is smiling and laughing, but haven't been very good about getting some pictures of him doing so! Promise I'll try and get some this week. Anyhow, here's a couple pictures of our ever growing lil man...

First taste of ballet...

A common joke between Tyler and I is that Lu (Layla) is our first son. Was this oh so apparent today during her first ballet class. We were invited by our friend Jessica to come along to a trial class for the girls. Ballet lesson start at 2 1/2 at most places, so Lu is still a little young for it. In any case, she was not into any of the actual dancing, but more about running and jumping and tumbling. She has some energy and she sure does not stop moving. It took her a while to warm up, but once she did she had a blast. After the class we found an empty studio room for Emma, Riley and Layla to run around in. It was a great day.

Crazy week!!!!

Hi y'all!!!! Man, time flies and I just realized it has been awhile since I have updated this! We have been busy, busy, busy!!!! I took on the honor of becoming my lifegroups "care manager" which is a fantastic opportunity, but also keeps me really, really busy! Besides that I am now on my MOPS committee and in charge of creative activities. Besides that we are still doing our weekly neighborhood playgroup and gymnastics for Lu, oh and taking care of the hubby and two kiddos.

It was my turn this week to host our playgroup, so I decided to put the blow up pools out and have an outdoor playtime in the the midst of this awful humidity and heat wave! We bought a really cool playground from craigslist, so it was nice to see lots of kids using it.

Blake's growing soooo fast!

When I get the chance to look at our life and what has been going on I can't even believe how busy we are and how many things we do on a day by day basis. There are still times when I miss teaching and miss that part of me that can do other things besides be a mom, but I can't imagine being able to do all we do now while working full time. I really never imagined myself being a stay at home mom, but I also feel so blessed to be able to do so now. Don't get me wrong though, there are times and moments every day when it feels like the hardest job on the planet, but I also wouldn't give it up for the world.
After attending a memorial this week for a friend's daughter who left this world too soon, it made me realize even more so how fast life comes into this world and how fast life can leave this world. We don't know why God chooses to do this and we may never know until we meet him. I do know that I have realized more then ever that as crazy as life can be being a stay at home mom right now is the biggest blessing because I get to see every single new thing that our kids learn and do. I find myself getting excited over the silliest things! Seriously, a few minutes ago I was excited because Layla walked into the kitchen, picked up food off the floor and put it into the garbage! I mean for a mom, that is thrilling to know she not only knows what the garbage is for now, but also picked up something on her own without me nagging her. Before I was a mom if someone told me they got excited that their kid did this I would have cared less and now.... So funny how perspective changes!
So this past week our sweet Blake turned 2 months old! How time flies! I am trying to savor every moment, but this boy is growing and changing before our eyes! At his 2 month check up he weighed 11 lbs. 8 oz. We also learned he not only has reflux, but now has thrush. I have to go on medicine as does he...4 times a day! Not fun considering we are already giving him reflux medicine 2 times a day. In spite of all that he truly is the sweetest boy. He smiles and laughs all the time and he really only cries if he's hungry or uncomfortable. What a blessing this is for us. Here's some pictures of our sweet boy from the last few days.

Brother and Sister love...

As many of you know, Blake was a HUGE surprise to us. We were not planning to have any more kids for another year or two after Layla and.... Surprise! We found out we were having Blake shortly after we learned we had to move here. We were very, very scared at first and had no idea how we were going to handle all of the stresses. We also (me especially) felt really guilty that Layla wouldn't have all of our love and attention for very much longer and she would soon be sharing it with another sibling. Fast forward about 9 months and how much can change! We are so happy that are kids are so close in age and we could not have prayed for Layla to be sweeter and kinder to her little brother then she already is. She LOVES him so much and it is as if he has always been in our family. She always wants to hold him, is always kissing him and hugging him and bringing him "gifts" in his crib. When he is upset, she is upset. When he is happy, she is happy. She has not shown any jealousy at all, and for a toddler that is amazing. Since Blake was born Layla has matured in me and Tyler's eyes more then we could have ever imagined. We are so proud and impressed with Layla and we love our family of four and love the plan that God has put in place for us.

Discovery Place

Every day we get quicker and better at getting out of the house! It amazes me how many things you have to pack for two kids just for a couple of hours! In any case, this weekend in Charlotte was especially hot and humid, so we were all about finding things to do indoors! A really neat place to go in Uptown Charlotte is called Discovery Place. We hopped on the light rail on Sunday and took it straight into the city. Layla had a blast and even got to hang out with her friend Will for a little bit too. Blake on the other hand slept through the whole thing!